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Friday, December 30, 2011

Baked Glazed Ham

Ham with *Parsley Potatoes

Ham was always served for Easter Dinner growing up, so once a year it was a big deal! When marrying and taking my turn baking one, it presented a great mystery: what kind, how big, how long to bake, bone in, boneless, smoked, picnic, cured? Even my trusty Betty Crocker Cook Book left me confused.

My mother-in-law showed me her method of smearing with mustard, sticking in cloves (studding), putting in a brown paper grocery sack, closing, then setting sack on rack in roasting pan with water in the bottom at 350 degrees for a few hours. It was tasty, tender and moist. Followed that method for decades, then used bone and scraps for navy bean soup.

In recent years I settled on a tried and true method enjoying ham year round, by stocking up when on sale. I buy the butt portion versus shank, as it offers more meat, and the ham's label reads: already "cooked, ready to heat and serve."Leftovers go to the freezer for use in many recipes: sandwiches, soups, ham salad, chef salads, omelets, casseroles, scalloped potatoes, & breakfast slices. Hams frequently go on sale for under $2 a pound around the holidays, offering cooks a big bang for the bucks.

Score the rind, fatty surface of the ham cutting up to 1/4 to 1/2 inch slashes in one direction all over the surface about inch apart; then turn ham half way, and score more slashes across, so surface ends up looking like tic-tac-toe or "diamonds."

For glazing, combine BBQ sauce with mustard, orange juice, and honey and brush about half, all over ham surfaces; or using your hands, smear all over surfaces. If using cloves, push in along open slashes on top of ham and inch or so apart.

Place on rack fatty side up, in uncovered baking pan, filling pan with a half inch of water. Bake at 350 until internal temperature reaches 140, about 2 hours. Baste with remaining sauce every half hour, adding more water to pan if it evaporates. Outside will have a crispy surface and glaze flavors will seep into the moist ham. Slice to serve, allowing about 4-6 oz. per serving.

The bone and smaller scraps can be used to make split pea or navy bean soup. I deglaze the baking pan and drippings, adding more water and scraping to loosen bits and pieces, then save as a broth to add when making soups.

*Parsley Potatoes: I serve ham with boiled potatoes covered with a simple sauce of melted butter, parsley, salt and pepper ( 'cause it's the way grandma did it). Peel potatoes, half or quarter, boil until tender. Melt butter, add parsley (fresh or dried), salt and pepper and gently pour over potatoes, rotating or mixing to coat all sides.

About Me

Born in Chicago, graduated Willowbrook High, then NIU and moved to Oregon in 1967. President AOII Sorority, 1964-1965. Taught 5th/6th grade, then journalist/editor North Bend News, Prime Time newspapers. Retired. Twitter: theal2